High School Football: Week 3 playoff previews

Winner gets: The Tampa Plant-Fort Piece Central winner in the state semifinals. First Coast would travel to face either.

Glance: The most intriguing area game on Friday involves the defensive-minded Buccaneers against the most prolific offense in state history. Apopka scored 529 points in the regular season. Unlike prospect-heavy First Coast, the Blue Darters aren't a team loaded with major college recruits. QB Chandler Cox replaced injured starter Zack Darlington (Nebraska commit) after a head injury in the kickoff classic at Byrnes, S.C. The Buccaneers' big test is slowing Apopka's furious and fast-paced rushing attack. RB Robert Thomas (2,065 yards, 25 TDs) leads a single-wing offense that's piled up 5,008 rushing yards.

REGION 1-7A

Fletcher (10-2) at Niceville (11-1), 8:30 p.m. Friday

Winner gets: The Kissimmee Osceola-Tampa Sickles winner in the state semifinals. Fletcher would host either.

Glance: No surprise to find the Senators playing in their third consecutive regional final. Fletcher is 1-1 in those last two games. On the road in the playoffs, the Senators are 7-1 since 2011. The lengthy road trip is a deviation for Fletcher. Over the past three years, its longest road game in the postseason was a trip to Tampa Plant in the 2011 state semifinals. Niceville has been battling injuries but has most of its playmakers back, including running QB Ashton Hooker.

REGION 1-6A

Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee (9-3) at Bartram Trail (7-5)

Winner gets: The Springstead-Seffner Armwood winner in the state semifinals. Bartram would travel to face either.

Glance: The Bears, a district runner-up, earned an unlikely home game in the playoffs after Choctaw won last week. Bartram has been a machine in the postseason, largely because of the improvement of its defense and the positions it has put the offense in. LBs Hayden Good, Malik Rivera and Will Tillo are three of the team's top five leading tacklers. The Bears have a 2,000-yard passer in QB P.J. Blazejowski, a 1,000-yard RB in David Coleman and a big-play WR in Romello Bentley (666 yards, 8 TDs).

REGION 1-5A

Pensacola Catholic (12-0) at Clay (8-4)

Winner gets: The Bushnell South Sumter-St. Petersburg Lakewood winner in the state semifinals. Clay would host either.

Glance: The Blue Devils have run wild over their last five games, all wins. RB Shannon Asbell is coming off of the best game of his career last week against Kenny (five rushing TDs, five two-point conversions). The return of RB Bilal Ally from a knee injury in the spring has made the Blue Devils far more difficult to defend. Catholic scored the final 26 points last week to stun West Florida.

Related: Running attack sparks Clay's 5-game surge

STATE SEMIFINALS

REGION 2-4A

Tallahassee Florida High (8-4) at Bolles (9-3)

Winner gets: The Cocoa-Booker T. Washington winner in the state championship game on Dec. 7 at 7:07 p.m. at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

Glance: In the postseason at home under coach Corky Rogers, Bolles has won 42 of 44 games. The Bulldogs are also unbeaten in semifinal games under Rogers (13-0), and they're coming off their best effort of the season against a quality team. DL Michael Cassidy and the Bolles entire front seven controlled the first half last week against Raines. If the Bulldogs can again hold on to the ball, something they did well last week (one giveaway) they have a good shot at advancing to a third straight state title game.

REGION 1-3A

Trinity Christian (10-1) at Tampa Catholic (10-2)

Winner gets: The Clearwater Central Catholic-Miami Westminster Christian winner in the state championship on Dec. 7 at 1:07 p.m. at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

Glance: Trinity Christian hasn't blinked during the playoffs, smashing its opponents. Teams just haven't been able to move the ball against the Conquerors. Trinity allows just 1.8 ypc and has 39 sacks. Even teams that can pass the ball haven't fared well. Catholic does like to put the ball in the air, which is the best way to try and press Trinity. Still, QB Jacquez Riles (15 TD passes, 2 INT), RB Jalin Buie (1,298 yards, 11 TDs) and WR Isaiah Ford (659 yards, 12 TDs) have not had problems getting into the end zone.

GEORGIA

QUARTERFINALS

CLASS AAAAA

Ware County (11-1) at Tucker (12-0)

Winner gets: The Mundy's Mill-Gainesville winner in the state semifinals. Ware would host Mundy's Mill, but a coin flip would determine the host if Gainesville wins.

Glance: It's a collision of winning streaks in Clarkston on Friday night. The Gators have won 11 straight, and top-ranked Tucker is perfect this season. Sophomore RB-LB Dedrick Mills is coming off one of his best games of the season (13 touches, 125 yards, three TDs) for the Gators. He also had seven tackles. Ware limited Northside to just 146 yards. The Gators are allowing teams just 10 ppg.

PUBLIC STATE QUARTERFINALS

CLASS A

Charlton County (7-4) at Seminole County (11-0)

Winner gets: The Johnson County-Irwin County winner in the state semifinals. Charlton would travel to face either team.

Glance: Charlton, the No. 8 seed, had no difficulty in its opener on the road, although the path gets more difficult with a visit to Donalsonville and top-seeded Seminole. Charlton switched up its offense last week, deviating from its pass-centric game plan to a run-first unit. RB Drew Lee rushed for 332 yards and three TDs. Which offense will they throw at Seminole? The host Indians are a run-heavy team.

Justin Barney: (904) 359-4248

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